


It's the Thought that Counts

by gluupor



Series: AFTG Andreil Bingo 2018 [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Bingo 2018, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, Prompt: Couple _______, Prompt: Gift-giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 06:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16487456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluupor/pseuds/gluupor
Summary: Andrew and Neil's relationship has many facets that are confusing to outsiders. The strangest may be their habit of giving each other the contents of their pockets and calling it a gift.





	It's the Thought that Counts

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for AFTG Bingo Andreil card squares Gift-giving and Couple ______ (in this case Couple Armbands).

It's Andrew who starts it.

During the winter of Neil's sophomore year Andrew accompanies Kevin and Wymack to go visit a potential recruit, much like he had two years previously when they'd arrived in Millport to recruit Neil. Neil was actually supposed to be the one going as, after Dan graduates in the spring, he's going to be the team's captain, but he comes down with a stomach bug that lays him out flat. He's told in no uncertain terms to rest and recover and ensure that he's ready for their next playoff game in two weeks. Andrew doesn't particularly want to go with them but despite the strides that Kevin's made since Riko's death he still doesn't like to go anywhere without either Andrew or Neil (or preferably both) at his side.

They're only gone for one night. Neil spends almost the entire time they're gone asleep, taking advantage of how quiet it is with his two roommates away.

Kevin comes into the room complaining about how subpar the new recruit is. He takes one look at Neil and starts muttering about the plague, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Andrew gives Neil an appraising look. "How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Fine," answers Neil. Andrew just raises a judgmental eyebrow. "Better," he amends. "I ate some toast earlier and it's stayed down so far, so I think I'm on the mend. How was Chicago?"

"Windy."

"Did you bring me back a present?"

He doesn't ask the question seriously, but Andrew pats his pockets and pulls out a pen. He tosses it at Neil. "For you," he says.

Neil examines the pen. It's fairly mangled and shows evidence that it's been taken apart and put back together multiple times. Andrew was clearly fidgeting with it to distract himself from his hatred of flying. "Thank you," says Neil with false sincerity. "I shall treasure it always."

* * *

The next year Neil's able to go with Wymack to visit potential recruits. He doesn't remember the pocket-gift that Andrew gave him until he arrives back at their room and Andrew looks up expectantly.

"What did you bring me?" he asks.

Neil gives him everything out of his pockets, which amounts to half a roll of LifeSavers and a button. Andrew gives him an unimpressed look, but pops a LifeSaver into his mouth.

"Actually, wait, give me that button back," says Neil. "I should sew it back on my shirt."

"No," says Andrew, curling his hand possessively around it. "It's mine now."

After that, Neil's careful to always have some kind of candy in his pocket when he flies back into town to give to Andrew.

The summer after Neil's junior year he goes with Matt to Philadelphia to help him move. Dan's got a coaching job up in Rhode Island and isn't able to make the trip and Matt wants company. Neil stays a week: getting Matt settled in, taking in the sights, and visiting the court where Matt will soon be a professional exy player.

He's feeling a little blue on his way back to Palmetto; Kevin and Matt have both left now and next year it will be Andrew leaving him behind. He blames his melancholy on forgetting to put something appropriate in his pocket.

Andrew is waiting for him at the airport. Neil starts patting his pockets as soon as he sees him and presents him with $3.42 in small change, a dead watch battery, and a transfer for Philadelphia's public transit system.

Andrew just stares at the handful of junk before he shrugs and pockets it. He then turns on his heel without saying anything and heads out of the airport, much like he did the second time they met and he was pretending to be Aaron.

That year Andrew gets several offers from professional teams. He and Neil (with input from Wymack and Kevin) narrow it down to a couple options. Andrew is then invited to visit the courts and meet upper management of his top picks in order to help him decide where to sign. After the first trip, he presents Neil with a pocketknife (and Neil _knows_ that he didn't somehow smuggle it onto the plane, so he must have stashed it in his car beforehand for this express purpose). The next time Neil gets a safety pin, two dimes, and a (thankfully unused) Kleenex. The final trip's present is a Bic lighter (which is actually useful because Neil's has just run out of lighter fluid) and a paper map of New York's subway system.

Once Andrew decides on which team to play for, he travels back to Denver to sign his contract and to hunt for an apartment. Neil wants to go with him, but he has two papers due and a math final.

He's still poring over his math textbook and absently chewing on a pen when Andrew returns.

"Hey, how'd it go?" he asks, removing the pen from his mouth and grimacing at the taste of ink.

Andrew shrugs. "I got you something," he says, and tosses the now-customary pocket-gift to Neil.

It's a key. Neil swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. He's been trying to ignore the fact that Andrew is leaving, but here is evidence that he now has a home somewhere far away from Neil. But, just like he did years ago, he's inviting Neil into his space, telling Neil that he's wanted.

"Thank you," says Neil hoarsely.

Andrew doesn't answer but he does run his hand through Neil's hair as he passes on his way to the bedroom to unpack his overnight bag.

* * *

The next few years are hard for them. They're living in different cities even after Neil graduates and starts playing exy professionally. They take turns flying to visit each other as their schedules allow and they always present each other with whatever's in their pockets as soon as they arrive.

Neil tends to stick to his old stand-by, buying some kind of candy that Andrew likes at the airport unless he has something that he actually wants to give Andrew that's small enough to fit in his pocket. He also uses it as a way to get rid of small change.

Andrew's presents vacillate wildly between actual thoughtful gifts and useless junk. Neil receives: a brand-new smartphone, which matches Andrew's new phone and allows them to FaceTime; a shiny ribbon (he doesn't ask, but sometimes he suspects that Andrew's part magpie); quite a lot of loose change (he thinks some of it is his own loose change, re-gifted); a new set of what Nicky calls their His-and-His Matching Couple Armbands of _Loooove_ (only where Andrew can't hear him), rolled into Andrew's pockets making them puff out comically; several receipts (he gets a handful of grocery receipts after he expresses worry about Andrew's diet); at least one parking ticket; and many different accessories and toys for Neil's cats after he adopts a couple strays when he finds himself too lonely his first year out of college.

Matt happens to be in town once when Andrew arrives and gives them a puzzled look when Andrew hands over the contents of his pockets. Neil just shrugs sheepishly, but doesn't say anything. He likes their strange tradition and he doesn't want to explain it. It's just for them.

Finally, after two years playing professionally, Neil's traded to Andrew's team. He (and his cats) move into Andrew's apartment and Neil's beyond happy that there's no more distance between them but he does kind of miss the random gifts.

The next year Aaron finishes medical school and Andrew, although he's pretending that he's not proud, flies out for his graduation. Neil had been planning on attending as well, but he's nursing a back injury that he doesn't want to aggravate by spending too long sitting on the plane.

It's late when Andrew returns and Neil's on the couch with a heating pad, propped into the one position that doesn't hurt his back. King is lying on his chest, purring happily.

"How was the ceremony?" he asks.

"Long," says Andrew, hanging up his jacket. "Boring." He comes over to kiss Neil hello and stroke King before he disappears into the kitchen. He comes back with a bottle of water in his hands, twisting the cap and fidgeting uncharacteristically.

"What's wrong?" asks Neil, but Andrew doesn't respond. He runs his finger along King's ear. She flicks it in annoyance. "What has it got in its pocketses, precious?" he asks her in his best Gollum impression.

"I never should have let you watch that movie," says Andrew.

"I read the book when I was a teenager," counters Neil. "Anyway, did you bring me anything?"

That seems to be what Andrew is waiting for. He smoothly pulls a small box out of his pocket and tosses it to Neil.

Neil catches the box in one hand, trying not to dislodge King. He looks at the box and then up at Andrew in consternation, because it appears to be a jewellery box. Andrew just watches him steadily. Neil opens the box and, sure enough, there are two matched wedding bands inside.

Everything inside Neil stills. He wasn't expecting this from Andrew at all, although in retrospect he probably should have been. After almost eight years together the two of them know that their relationship is permanent, that neither of them are going anywhere. Neil's always regarded his key as a symbol of belonging; it makes sense that Andrew would want a symbol, too.

"You haven't answered," says Andrew, just as Neil realizes that he's been silently gaping for too long.

"You haven't asked anything," Neil complains.

Andrew pushes off the wall and comes over to Neil. "Yes or no?" he asks.

"I may have been naive when I first said it," says Neil, "but that doesn't mean I didn't mean it. It's always yes with you."

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on tumblr [@gluupor](http://gluupor.tumblr.com).


End file.
